


Aervora Meets the Sentinels

by TheJadedFeather



Series: Finalverse Chronicles [1]
Category: DC Comics, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Marvel (Comics)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fan Made Superhero Universe, Fem!Steve, Female Captain America, Finalverse, Gen, M/M, Marvel/DC Combo Universe, Miss Martian In Name Only, Multi, Original Character - Freeform, Other, Reimagined Miss Martian, Reimagined Superman, Superman In Name Only
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 12:09:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10513488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheJadedFeather/pseuds/TheJadedFeather
Summary: Year 1997: Superman, Lady Mars, Lex Luthor, Iron Man, Namor, Black Panther and Wonder Woman repel the invasion of Thanos, and become the founding members of the Ever Vigilant Sentinels of All the Earth.Seven years later, they are visited by an alien from another universe.And this is the story of how Aervora got to know her new friends.Shenanigans ensue, but not before certain conversations get too real.





	1. Stephanie Rogers

"So... you're with the Tony of this universe too?" Aervora asks with a fond smile.

"Yeah. Both him and Bucky. They're sweet. So I was with Tony in the your universe?"

Aervora answered with a coy smile, "Oh yes, very much so. My Toni... she's female by the way, is with our Captain America and Winter Soldier too. Oh, and our Captain America is male... his name is Steve."

"Steve? How awful. Ah well. At least he still has my good sense in partners. Even if he doesn't have my hips."

Aervora laughed, joyful and clear. "True, very true." She then added wistfully, "You have his eyes though..."

Stephanie laughed, "I'm glad," she hesitated, "Were you and Steve also together?"

Aervora looked at her like she grew a third eye. "What? Oh by the song no! He's more like my older brother. The only person he'll ever belong to in that way is Toni, no one else."

"Well, Tony is definitely a good choice for a life partner."

Aervora's lips tightened into a thin smile, as she harshly swallowed. "Yeah..." She sighed. "By the song, do I miss them..." she sadly whispered. Her ears drooped.

Stephanie placed her hand on the woman's shoulder, "Hey, cheer up. We'll have you back home in no time. Luthor hasn't failed us yet!"

Aervora closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming her mind. "Thanks, Stephanie. It seems no matter what universe, you always help me out in some way."

Stephanie beamed, "Aw shucks! That's sweet of you to say. However, it is against my code of honor to watch a beautiful woman be sad and do nothing about it! Bring it here you space elf you!" she exclaimed, opening her arms and inviting a hug.

Surprised, Aervora's ears fluttered bashfuly as she shyly hesitated. After a brief moment, however, she lunged at Stephanie, hugging her torso tightly. "Captain America hugs are the best!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly.

Stephanie squeezed the woman, and lifted her up in a bear hug, Aevora squealing in delight.

"Am I interrupting something?" Tony called out as he walked into the room, with a smug smile teasing his lips. Stephanie put Aervora down, but Tony pouted, "No, don't stop! I was enjoying that..."

"Pervert! Well," Stephanie stepped forward, as if she were on a stage, and said in a voice of mock superiority, "I'll have you know that Aeva is too pure of a person to be tainted by your filthy imaginations! Away! Away I say, and do not return until your heart is cleansed and your soul is pure, untouched by the sins of the flesh!"

...

Aeva and Tony looked sideways towards each other "Your Captain America is much more dramatic than mine," she said.

"Yeah," said Tony, "She gets like that when she's around me," he puffed out my chest, "It's an involuntary reaction to my perfect masculinity," he said, an exaggerated look of smugness on his face.

Stephanie stepped up to Tony and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Well, you're right about that," she whispered, trying desperately not to giggle.

Aeva smiled and shook her head. Some things never change.

FIN


	2. Aya

Aya sat alone in the cafeteria of Stark Tower, and was reading a book. The room buzzed around her with the conversations of her fellows.

A clatter sounded in front of her, drawing her attention; it was the newcomer, an alien named Aervora, who had sat down at her table with a tray of food. She glanced at Aya's book and asked, "What are you reading?"

Aya stared at the woman with unblinking eyes, "Histoire d'O, by Pauline Réage."

Aervora's ears tilted forward, now curious; her irises were even softly glowing turquoise. However, her remurnae were flat against her head, denoting unease. "A historical text?" She took a bite of her salad.

"The novella is a work of erotic fiction. The title translates to The Story of O. O being the protagonist," said Aya, her gaze squarely on Aeva.

Aervora chirped in surprised, her ears down in shock. "U-um..." Aervora stuttered. "Why are you reading erotica? It... it doesn't seem to be your... thing."

"I do not have a preference in fiction, and the genre of the novel is irrelevant. Sentinel Vision explained to me that the biological members of our organization can be uncomfortable when Vision or I are too still, or robotic. By holding the novel as if I were reading it, it subconsciously makes them more comfortable with my presence."

Aervora expression then melted more into a fond smile. "Oh... I see. So you're not actually reading the novel?"

"Since we have started this conversation, I have already read one hundred and nine. And the Story of O was one of the first, and I have read it several times. I do not understand it."

Aervora then smiled with a more of an appreciative tone. "You and me both. Human romance, and even sex, confuses me most of the time."

"You misunderstand. The biological need to mate and find companionship have roots in evolution. But the protagonist of this novel partakes in a lifestyle that I am not familiar with. She enjoys being beaten, and forcibly taken. And she revels in being objectified. It is not a state of mind that I understand."

"Oh, so it's a dominance and submission work of fiction... alunon has recommended me her favorites in that genre from time to time... anyway, I think I could explain some of it to you."

Aya waited silently.

"It most likely has roots in evolution as well. Those that bear offspring want to find the most fit mates so that their children are the same. Somewhere along the generations, there was likely a permutation that had the bearers desire dominate, aggressive mates, which translated into sexual desire and preference," Aervora calmly explained.

Aya lowered her gaze to the novel, "And her desire to be treated like an object?"

"That's likely part of the permutation. The highest chance of attracting a dominate mate is being submissive; acting like a passive object to be used."

Aya continued to stare at the open book in her hands.

While Aya's soul was almost completely unreadable, Aervora could still sense something was wrong. "Aya, is something wrong?"

Aya looked up at Aeva and blinked, "Wrong with what?"

"You're silent, and you seem... upset, almost. Did I say something that made you that way?"  
Aya blinked again, "I am incapable of anger. And nothing you said has upset me."

Aervora looked almost unbelieving, given the amount of times JARVIS has told her the same statement. She ignored making a comment on that, however, and instead asked, "Then why were you staring at the book after what I said?"

Once again, Aya looked down at the book, "I was considering my past. I was created by the Green Lantern Corp as an artificial intelligence for am experimental vessel. After I gained sentience, they attempted to deactivate me. Obviously, I was able to escape to Earth, and I procured this body in order to defend my existence. The Sentinels gave me political asylum, and were the first to respect my rights as an sentient lifeform, and I became a member of the organization."

Aya raised her eyes, meeting Aeva's with a peculiar intensity, "My early experiences were neither ideal nor pleasant. I do not understand why anyone would relinquish their rights as a sentient lifeform, and be treated as an object to be disposed."

Aervora looked considerate for a moment, before answering, "It's.... it's actually less being a disposable object and more being the most precious one. The dominant may act, at times, like their submissive is unimportant, but in reality, that's not how the dicotomy really performs."

"Subtextually, it's a consentual give and take; the submissive's rights of are never truly relinquished, with the safeword acting as a key example. The submissive merely wishes to be temporarily an object, because then they can also relinquish the responsibility of being a sentient being as well, placing most of that burden on the dominant."

Aya was quiet for a moment, "Those actions do not match the novel. However, I will consider the matter further," Aya stood, closing the book, "Please excuse me. I have my Sentinel obligations elsewhere. Thank you for sitting with me."

"You're welcome," Aervora simply answered. The conversation gave her a sense of melancholy, however; she missed JARVIS dearly now.

Aya nodded to the woman, and made to walk away. She got several steps before she stopped and turned her head, "Stardust?"

"Yes Aya?"

"Thank you for sitting with me."


	3. Kal-El

"Now," started Lex Luthor, "the important thing to remember is that this chemical compound will only last twenty minutes. Any longer, and you could risk the permanent loss of your empathic sense. I will contact you when the twenty minutes is almost up. We don't want to have a repeat of last time. Just try not to stress yourself out during the meeting."

"Alright," Aervora answered back nervously, albeit also determined; she desperately wanted to talk to Superman, as she had never seen a soul so powerful or bright. It had felt like standing in front of a quasar, from what she could remember. And now... she'd be completely blind. I can do this, I can do this, she thought to herself. It's just temporary.

"Relax. This," he found the spot on her arm and rubbed alcohol on the spot, "won't," he aimed the needle, "hurt," he pricked the skin and injected the drug into her, "at all!"

The woman hissed.

He pulled the needle out and immediately covered the spot with a price of cotton and a bandage, "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?" after a look from her, he cleared his throat, "The effect should be immediate. How do you feel?"

Aevora barely heard what Lex had just said, as his warm, firey soul had faded away almost immediately. She could feel her heart race, and breathing seemed difficult. By the song, I can't see, I can't see him! she frantically thought.

Breath, just... breath, she soothed herself. Alunon and the rest of them live with this everyday, I can do this for 20 minutes, no problem.

She now couldn't sense Lex's soul or emotions at all. All she had left were her other enchanced senses, so she focused on those instead; the acrid smell of the New York air, the rich blue sky, the solid concrete under her feet. Anything to ground her, here and now.

Lex looked concerned, but immediately put his tools in his case, and made for the door that would lead inside the building and off the Sentinel Tower's roof, "Kal will be down shortly. I'll give you two some privacy. Relax. He's a good guy. And he'll be able to tell if the drug is burning through faster than expected. There is nothing to worry about."

He gave her a reassuring smile, and closed the door behind him.

Now she was left alone, and try as she might, she just couldn't be calm. What if this was a horrible mistake and this was permanent? That'd mean she'd never see her family's souls again, wouldn't be able to empathically influence them out of nightmares and soothe them when the world was simply too much for them.

I'm so stupid, oh, what have I done? she thought, fear pulsing in her throat.

And what will Kal-El really look like? His soul was so blinding that she has no idea what his physical form will be. Will he be intimidating, harsh maybe? What kind of person could ever even own a soul like that?!

"Miss Stark?"

The voice that came from behind her was softer than she would have guessed, and polite in that vague way that strangers were.

Aervora took a single breath, and turned around.

He was standing on the elevated edge of the building, with only the tip of one foot touching the surface, and his black cape still falling, as if he had only just jumped down from a tree, instead of the open sky.

Aeva had heard much about Superman from the other Sentinels, his wife included, but had never expected... this. Instead of the imposing, powerful figure that the ones Steve and Bucky had, the man who stood before her looked far more... graceful and slender; a dancer's build. In fact, albeit much taller, he reminded her of Spider-Man from Tony's world. His hair was a lush black, and his eyes were the richest blue, different from both Steve's sea blue eyes and Toni's sky blue eyes.  
Her heart beat furiously in her chest. Even with the drug, she could still feel the shadow of the his soul. Like a bright blue sun, barely covered by a child's hand.

She realized something in her stupor, "How..."

She might as well have been drunk for the powers of articulation she currently had. But Superman smiled, content to wait for her to gather her thoughts. She cleared her throat, "How did you know my last name?"

Her voice was stronger now, and she was pleased with herself.

"My real last name,” Aervora clarified. It was by the orvunorai naming system, not Earth’s, and stab of homesickness rang through her. Not for Endonin, no. For Toni’s Earth.

The soft voice spoke again, this time with a small laugh, "Stephanie told me. She seemed happy with the fact that she could consider you family," he motioned to the table and chairs that had been set up for them, "Please, sit."

Aeva took a seat, thankful she didn't have to stand for this. While she felt far better with the drug Lex induced when now being near Kal, his soul was somehow still there, bright and clear, and it made her legs feel weak and soft.

Kal-El sat as well, and to all the world, seemed as relaxed as as a kitten cuddled against it's mother, "I am glad that we are able to have this conversation. I've been interested in meeting you since you arrived," his eyes met her's, and they didn't seem to need to blink as often as most eyes. However, unlike with Aya, Kal-El's eyes were welcoming, and Aeva became less tense, almost against her will, "I trust the accommodations of Stark's tower are agreeable?"

"Yes, they are eerily similar to home, in fact," Aeva answered. Her heart was beginning to return back to its regular rhythm, and breathing felt as easy as it does on her home planet, or in the less civilized parts of Earth. She felt... calm, and while a part of her mind felt that perhaps something... unwanted might be causing it, for the time being, she didn't really care.

Kal-El had started to serve tea in two china cups, and he offered one to Aeva, "You lived here, in your world?"

"Um, yes. The Toni Stark of my world, who is female by the way, found me when I crash-landed on the Earth of her universe," Aeva explained as she took a sip of tea. It was delicious.

Kal took a small sip out of his glass, "We aliens do have a habit of crash landing on planets. You'd think our respective races would fork the extra dime for decent landing gear," he said dryly.

Aervora was taken aback as her ears went flat and tight across her head. His joke had completely taken her by surprise, especially given what she had heard had happened to him. "U-um, yes," she stuttered awkwardly.

His eyes flicked to hers, "Are you alright?"

Aeva looked him in the eyes and then down at her cup... thinking. Thinking about the monsters, or rather humans, that had captured him when he fell to Earth, and subsequently experiencing an orvunorai's worse nightmare. She then shook her head, clearing herself of those thoughts, of the old nightmares her kind have passed down for millenia. They weren't really appropriate, not here, not now. She cleared her throat and answered, "Yes, I'm fine."

"So Stephanie tells me,” Kal wryly responded.

Aeva had barely registered the joke before he continued, "Word around the grapevine is that you have some questions for me. Please, feel free to ask anything you want, and I will answer if I can."

"You're Kryptonian, correct? I'll admit, I've never met any kryptonians in the previous worlds I've visited, but... I have a feeling you're even different among your own kind. Your soul is simply too unique, too powerful and strange. An entire race of beings with souls such as yourself could conquer the universe with ease, if they so desired..." Aervora commented, before then asking, "Just what exactly are you? Do you even it know yourself? It's... it's okay if you don't."

Kal-El drained the last of the tea, and stared at the cup, considering it for a moment before answering, "The apparent strength of my soul is likely due to my absorption of the energy of this world's star, which increases my power."

Aervora nearly glared, as she flatly pointed out, "I've also met Power Girl and Valor, who also draw power from the Sun, and their souls don't make me pass out. You are lying."

Kal-El raised his gaze to the sky, as if pondering her accusation, "Yes. I guess I am. Old habits, and new fears. I suppose there is little harm in telling you. But I'd prefer it not to leave this roof."

"It won't. I..." Aervora paused, thinking about Steve's and Bucky's fear of Toni finding out they loved her more than she could ever even understand. As much as it infuriated Aeva, and their agonizing pining, she kept their secret, with Steve's voice echoing It goes beyond fear, when she just asked why he couldn't tell Toni until it was nearly too late.

Aeva took a breath and sighed. "I know the value of secrets."

"I hope you do," he said, and stared at her, as if she were under I microscope, "My mother was a kryptonian woman, and my father, a kryptionian god. The same god that tried to enslave this world a year ago, before I killed him."

Aeva's ears were flat against her head again, as her mouth felt suddenly dry; she was shocked. 

After taking a moment to let it sink in, she then growled, cursing darkly in her language as she bared her sharp canines in a snarl, and had to set her cup down on the table lest she crush it into dust. "What is it with extraordinary people having bad fathers?" she muttered angrily under her breath, her hands tighting into fists in her lap.

"You flatter me. In any case, he wasn't so bad. My brother assured me that, authoritarian policies aside, Rao was a decent enough father."

Aevora raised a brow in disbelief, but left it that. "I'll take your word for it... Still, it seems your lot as had your fair share of alien invasions. Did you also face the Chitauri? Thanos the Mad Titan?"

"Yes, and yes. Thanos was the first that came, and the first that the Sentinels defeated."

"Did you lose anybody?" Aervora softly asked. "We... we nearly did. It was miracle all of us made it, to be frank."

"Yes," he said solemnly, "there were civillians that didnt make it. But we did not lose any Sentinels. Not yet."

Aervora snorted, smiling coldly. Her eyes glowed with a false sense of calm. "It's only a matter of time, in our line of work, isn't it?”

"Yes," he said, sadly.

"Guess it just means we should make every moment count, right?" Aervora smiled, her expression now warm instead of cold. "M'ggan... she's a telepath. What's it like, being with her?"

Kal-El smiled slightly, "You might as well as me what it's like to fly, or to blink. We've been together for almost as long as I can remember," thunder rumbled in the sky above, "Well... neither of us are ever alone. And the both of us are happy that way."

Aervora looked at him, examining his eyes; her own eyes no longer glowed as the wind started to pick up, tossing her wild hair to and fro. She then smiled softly and said, "I'm glad. It makes me wish I could see your remnon, your soul... see the bond that you share. It must be beautiful."  
"Could you not see our 'soul,' through M'ggan?" he asked, "I know that the two of you have spent some time together."

Aervora then looked away, swallowing harshly as a frown creeped across her face. "I caught a few glimpses. Her soul is... unique, to say the least. An endless hall of mirrors that reflect all the souls on Earth, constantly shifting and changing."

"We... we haven't been talking much lately."

"I am aware," he said, his voice even softer, gentler, "I am sorry that her practices upset you so."  
Aervora sighed sadly. "It's not that, in a sense."

"For my kind... the concepts of consent are integral to our culture. So to come across an umon, a sentient being, who does not understand or truly consider such concepts... It's difficult to reconcile that."

"Humans are much the same way. They may not show it, but my wife does make most of our organization uncomfortable. Because she is not like them. Her ways are not their ways. And not yours. M'ggan has as much difficulty understanding the people around her as you do her. She is just very good at hiding it."

Aervora looked contemplative as picked up her cup of tea and took another sip again. She grimaced, as it had gone cold, but she still stared at her cup as she admitted, "As much as I am not human... humanity has still rubbed off on me..."

"My current family, my new friends? They have made me theirs, in ways I think I'm only now starting to understand," she added.

"And M'ggan has changed me in more ways than I care to admit. She is my family. She, Aya, my brother, Karen and Mon-El. We are all we have," Superman suddenly looked very tired.

Aeva's brows furrowed, suddenly confused, and almost sad. "And as for the other Sentinels? Are they not family?"

He laughed than. A hearty laugh that she did not expect, "If you asked them, they would call me a den mother. I suppose that counts," his laughter died down, but he was still smiling, "But no. Not family. Not really. They are my colleagues, and many of them are my friends. But not family. They are no more my family than the billions of people who bustle below me every day."

Her ears flickered as a touch of unease shimmered down Aeva's spine, brief but still there. Toni was a den mother, making sure every aspect of the Tower and the activities they all enjoyed suited their needs, with the help of JARVIS of course. The man that sat in front of her and laughed heartily was a commander, not a patriarch. Not an alunon, for the rest of the Sentinels, at least.

"I see," Aervora neutrally responded, taking another sip of cold tea.

"Have I upset you?"

"No, you haven't," Aervora lightly answered, putting on a gentle, understanding smile. Her eyes weren't even glowing the slightest brightness. They were simply... masked. Calm but... unshowing.

Kal-El wasn't smiling anymore. He wasn't angry, or even sad. He was weary, "Yes, I have. Even if you do not realize it," he stood, suddenly seeming taller, more powerful than when she had first seen him, and turned his back on her, walking to the edge of the roof, and looked over the grey, wet city.

The wind howled around them, and Kal-El's cape fluttered against his back. In the distance, a boom of thunder sounded. He was silent for only a moment, and spoke without facing her, "Do your people worship?" he asked, his voice so soft she could hardly hear it.

Aervora answered, "In a manner of speaking, yes, and yet also, no. We believe one can find inspiration and guidance from the “Il Aepacarom” or The Great Song, which is a metaphorical monolith of all artistic and emotional value in the universe. Worship, however... that word is foreign to us."

"Why do you ask?"

He ignored her question, and continued, "Humanity is a race that is predisposed to worship. Their time on Earth is so short, and because of that, they are frightened of death. And so they tell stories, and create various religious systems to reassure themselves that they are special. That humanity is unique among the infinite spaces. That there is something besides nothing after death. And so, gods are born. Many different kinds, but all serving the same function: To provide context to life.

"My father was born out of faith like this, as were many others. And before he died, he told me something I had always known, and would never forget: 'To be a god is to be more than an immortal. You have power, yes, but with that power comes the authority and responsibility over an entire world,'" Superman turned his head, and met Aervora's eyes, and there was an expression that she could not identify.

"I am immortal, and I have power, Aervora Stark. And I have a responsibility to all life on Earth. To protect them, and to guide them. So that one day, they may reach beyond the stars... and escape Krypton's doom."

Superman broke his gaze, and lifted his eyes to the darkening sky, "The Sentinels are not my family because I cannot afford for that to be the case. Because the day may come when they must die for the sake of this beautiful, broken world. And I would not survive that sacrifice."  
There was silence between them, and rain, finally, fell.

They stood there for a few minutes, and Superman spoke, "The drug is wearing off. And I have been away from my duties long enough. You should go inside. The drug lasted longer than expected, but I think that this is the last we will see of each other. A second dose will prove fatal. Goodbye, Aervora Stark."

And with that, Superman fell from the tower, and flew away, disappearing behind the wall of rain.

She stood there, her clothes soaking under the downpour, but that barely registered to her as she thought over what Kal-El said. Sacrifice rang in her mind, as she felt the barest touch of pity for him, even when she knew he didn't deserve it in the slightest. In another life, perhaps, Kal could have enjoyed a large, extended family, one who could fully love him and see him as their alunon. But that was not case, and it will never be, much in the same way Toni will never know why her father and mother couldn't love her, and why Bucky will never be like he was before he fell from that train in the snowy Alps of Europe. They simply had to live it, and accept the responsibilities they had now. Otherwise, innocent people would get hurt and it would be their fault.

The drug started to wear off, like someone lifting off a filter that hid a ridiculous amount of color. Even from here, Aeva could see Kal, shining as bright as the sun on a clear day. It was astonishing; he truly was a god, even if felt like she had just spoken to a man. A heavily burdened man, but a man nonetheless.

However, her remurnae do not lie. He is a force to be reckoned with, maybe even feared, and she knew full well humanity would achieve their legacy within this cosmos; perhaps at great cost, but it would happen. She simply hoped it would all be worth it for them.

She didn't know if he could hear her; even still, she whispered, "Goodbye Kal-El, son of Krypton."


End file.
